Star Wars: The Magic of Myth at the Smithsonian

From the X-15 to the X-wing fighter... from the Spirit of St-Louis to the Spirit of Obi-Wan... Between October 1997 and January 1999, Star Wars had joined American aerospace history in the halls of the National Air and Space Museum. The special exhibition of over 200 items from the Lucasfilm Archives presented costumes, props, models, and paintings in the context of "the hero's journey," the universal mythic underpinnings of the Star Wars story. And now, The Magic of Myth is currently on a 3-year tour of the United States, and will be heading to Sydney, Australia in 2002.

Star Wars Smithsonian Exhibit travels the United States and Australia from September 1999 to January 2003. Check here for more information on the exhibition, including the tour schedule.

Virtual Visit
You can take a virtual visit to the exhibition right here. Enter our on-line galleries and take a closer look at a few of these items, or sample illustrated, interactive excerpts from the exhibition's companion book. We've even included clips from the audio tour below, so you can listen to James Earl Jones describing some of the objects, or hear interviews with Star Wars creative people about the making of the saga. In our virtual visit we investigate the background of these "mythic images," and trace the roots of the look of Star Wars.